In the Still of the Night
by fangbang
Summary: The 50’s. A time for good girls to become housewives. College student Bella Swan is infatuated with the equally studious Edward Cullen. Izzy is taken for a ride by the smokin’ Eddie. Yet everything is oh so familiar… Age of Edward contest entry.
1. Chapter 1

**Age of Edward Contest**

**Title: In the Still of the Night**

**Your pen name: fangbang**

**Type of Edward: 50's Edward**

**If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this contest visit: The Age of Edward C2 Community:**

**http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/community/The_Age_of_Edward_Contest/70125/**

**Don't own.**

**Bella Swan 1957**

"You there, at the front…Isabella?" The professor at the front of the class questioned, his eyes displaying his frustration with her lack of response.

Bella looked up from her wrist where she had been scrubbing off a smudge of grease and pretended to look at her meticulous notes.

"It's just Bella sir," she allowed her hair to fall slightly in front of her face, "and the answer is that when Golding wrote Lord of the Flies, he was referring to his belief that we are rarely innately good; we only do the right thing when social bounds are placed upon us, such as law enforcement and common morals. Without these we descend back into savagery like our predecessors"

Realising that she'd spoken longer than she had ever before in a class discussion, she blushed self-consciously and stared down at her page.

"That is correct, well done. Now we are going to discuss the integral sexual theme in the novel," the professor turned back to the large, green hued chalk board and started to scribble, almost illegibly, that day's discussion. Bella's mind wandered and his voice was drowned out by the weight of her thoughts.

_That was close._ She thought with a relieved sigh.

Subtly glancing around the room in her peripheral vision, Bella could see the gaggle of other students also taking British Literature 101. Most of them were guys and seemed to be barely paying attention; some even had their heads lying on the table.

She wondered why they even bothered to come to college when all they were going to do was go out and party instead of widening their knowledge with education that their parents had probably paid for with financial aid. Of course there were those born from money who just saw this as 4 years of socialising. God she hated those richies, and even thought the lot of 'em were asswipes. It wasn't as if she didn't know how to have fun. She just had a sense of balance that these losers hadn't seemed to acquire in between drinking their own weight in Schlitz.

Bella felt enormously privileged that she could even attend Dartmouth, given her less than stellar background as a girl from some Podunk town in the middle of Nowheresville.

Everything was so happy go lucky after the war; there was fresh enthusiasm and invigoration. Yet she struggled to find anything to stimulate her curious mind, especially when most activities encouraged for young girls bored her to tears.

Now, she wanted to make the most of what she had been given.

Remembering the hand written letter in her bag that was addressed to her parents, talking about how she getting on in classes, her mind drifted again.

She could picture clearly the day when she had received her acceptance letter. The local postman was a friend of her father's and had delivered it directly into her hands with a secret sparkle to his eye. He usually had that happy look after his last delivery to a lonely widow down the street who had a thing for men in uniforms. However, this particular day it was most likely attributed to how he saw Bella like the daughter he never had.

It was big news that the town's golden girl was heading east but they would have been just as excited if it were junk mail or a warning of how 'erectile dysfunction could happen to you!' There had also been an incident the week prior regarding the Congressman's wife changing her shade of hair dye. Arguments over which looked best 'Honey Blonde' or 'Light Ash' were rife for days.

However, this couldn't put a damper on her sheer excitement when she had ripped it open and read the lines that would lead to a better life and an actual career.

She had sat in her kitchen with it's red and white chequered table cloth, she couldn't have been happier at the prospect of forging a reputation as whoever she wanted to be rather than 'Chief Swan's daughter'.

Her mother had always dreamed that Bella would follow in her footsteps and would love to pass on the secret tricks of a house wife. For example, how to properly use her beloved Sunbeam Mixmaster, which recently came in a variety of different colors.

Bella would rather bash her head in with a Mr Potato Head.

As much as she loved her mother, she'd never wanted to be a homemaker. This mundane lifestyle consisted of staying at home and being the dutiful wife, whilst your husband went out and actually made an impact on society, whatever the profession.

No, that definitely wasn't the path for Bella; she wanted to be an English teacher and share her love for the novels that adorned her shelves. As much as her mother had tried to persuade her otherwise, her mind was made up and Renee knew that there was nothing she could do once her daughter had settled on the decision.

Secretly, she knew her father was pleased. Charlie was the Chief of Police in Forks and his smile when she had been accepted was enough to tell her all she needed to know. So she had moved to New Hampshire with the enthusiasm that only someone escaping from a small town had and jumped head first into her new life.

Now in her second year, being a sophomore was pretty much the same as being a freshman but with a slightly heavier workload. She had declared her major in Comparative Literature and a minor in Philosophy which she was excited about but also thought it sounded fancy in the booklet.

Drifting back into the present, she looked up at the square clock on the wall and then around the room, noticing that class had already been dismissed for the morning. Clearly her brain needed to put some extra work in. She was the last person left except one.

She stared at him walking around the large square perimeter of their desks and held her breath in anticipation as he passed by. They made eye contact, pretty much like they did every lecture she had shared with him for the past four months.

Her brain screamed, _Edward Cullen _as the smell of his soap and maybe laundry detergent, mixed with something just…_him_, filtered through her senses. Kind of addicting like the aroma that wafts around a Christmas market. The moment seemed to slow, like in those feature films down at the local theatre, and she took in everything that her eyes could process within the short amount of time and in close contact of him.

His buttoned shirt fastened to the top and tucked neatly into his tweed pants, fitted perfectly to his frame and the suspenders on either shoulder only added to the appeal. His pocket protector, housing a multitude of different colored pens, made her knees weak at the thought of a man who was conscientious enough to go to such great lengths to always have access to a pen. Her favorite part though, was looking up into his face and seeing those black, horn rimmed glasses, which served to highlight the vivid green of his eyes, twinkling in the artificial light of the classroom.

Channelling her inner vixen that she usually kept restrained for the most part, Bella's mind tended to conjure up fantasies of her with Edward. She imagined grabbing those glasses and throwing them to the ground as she mussed up that perfectly slicked back, perhaps penny colored hair and fusing her mouth to his. Then she would rip open those buttons and ping the suspenders-

"Uhm..er…Bella?" Edward waved his fingers somewhat nervously in her face, probably wondering why her jaw had gone slack and her eyes had taken on a glazed appearance.

Her heart swelled at the look of pure confusion mixed with a dash of perhaps… hope on Edward's face.

"Oh, erm terribly sorry Edward, I must dash, Alice has got me standing as a mannequin this evening for her fashion design workshop. I don't know why, this fashion palaver has never been my cup of tea but you know, you gotta' do what ya' gotta' do," Bella waffled on nervously, her mouth not listening to her brain telling it to shut up or allow her to faint from mortification.

Edward shifted, seemingly disheartened by her obviously fabricated excuse, and politely ushered her to step in front of him to exit the classroom. They awkwardly shuffled through the narrow doorframe into the sparsely populated hallway and stood at least a foot and a half apart facing each other, shyly yet somewhat expectant..

"Oh..uh of course, don't let me keep you." He said, the tone of his voice downtrodden and his face reminding her of an abandoned puppy.

With that, he turned towards the back exit and was gone quicker than Bella could say Jack Flash, his satchel trailing after him.

Feeling deflated at missing yet another chance to actually talk rather than stare at Edward, Bella cursed her lack of ability to react like a normal human being when he spoke to her. She wasn't going to ever get the chance to live out her fantasy if she kept avoiding every opportunity.

It was probably for the best. Someone so good and pure as him shouldn't be around someone with a secret side like her.

She muttered down heartedly and flattened her pale pink blouse to gain back some semblance of control, and made sure her poodle skirt hadn't accidentally become trapped in her undergarments. Reassured that everything was in its rightful place with no chance of an accidental peep show (though the jocks would love that), Bella made her way to her dorm that she shared with her best friend Alice.

Alice was somewhat of an anomaly in today's way of living. She was a bundle of hyped up energy who ignored the conformity that most followed. If she felt like wearing a hat full of feathers or a shirt that read 'Looking for a Russian Spy? There's one up my ass.' she'd do it, whether or not others understood her flair. The best word that Bella could think of to describe her would be _kooky_ and even that didn't do her justice. Bella wished she could express herself as openly as Alice without fearing what others might think. Then one day it might be possible for her to muster the courage to speak to Edward, eliminating the necessary restraints that she now upheld.

He would be able to see who she really was and then make a decision, perhaps even truly accept her entirely rather than only having half the picture of her that he got now.

She opened the lock and swung her bag onto the chair by the telephone, shutting the door with a resounding click. A quick scan of the dorm told her Alice was indeed home, a trail of fabric and sequins laid in her wake. The clattering sound of a sewing machine could be heard throughout the apartment, interspersed with loud sighs or curse words that Bella would never dare utter in the presence of company. There was also the sound of Elvis warbling, whom Alice had loved since seeing him on the Steve Allen show.

This didn't surprise her though; it was a usual event when Alice had a project due for class. She'd work slowly but surely up until the deadline and then suddenly change her mind due to a flash of inspiration one or two days before, working ten hours straight and have the perfect final piece to display.

"Honey, I'm home!" Bella laughed to herself at their joke. It was a mockery at the adverts that depicted women staying at home to wait for their husbands so they could prepare the best dinner ever. And breakfast. And a packed lunch. Perhaps, society thought women only served the purpose of serving, a favorite being meals!

The whole idealism of that made Bella shiver in disgust and want to question whether her country seriously thought that women were only there to pop out babies and clean the house.

"How was work?" Alice bantered, playing the adoring housewife as she sauntered into the kitchenette, her hair filled with pencils and tape measures.

"Oh you know, it's a hard day working for the man," Bella recited flatly in a masculine voice and the pair cracked up at the line even though they'd heard it multiple times before.

Alice turned and beckoned Bella into the small living room, pushing her onto the foot stool in the centre. "Now put this on," she shoved a bundle of material into Bella's hands, "and then stand as still as a statue. This needs to be p-e-r-f-e-c-t, kapish?" Alice enunciated slowly and stood with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, cap'n" Bella giggled at Alice's attempt to imitate a Mafia boss, not that her attitude wasn't scary enough to be one at times. Maybe if she gained a few inches in height and around the waist she could pass for one by sheer intimidation in appearance. Oh and owned a gun, but that wasn't really wise considering what happened last time Alice handled a firearm… She wondered if that man had recovered and if it had ever grown back. It must be a bind only having one, especially for procreating.

Shaking her head, she quickly swapped her garments, not bothered by Alice's presence seeing as how this routine had been a regular occurrence since they started sharing a place.

She had bumped into Alice at freshman orientation and had been scared stiff that the girl she had knocked down would go ape crazy. Even though this girl was at least a foot shorter, she wore an ensemble that made Bella believe she was one of those oddballs who were against the world. The ones that screamed obscenities at the government and threatened suicide, then went on to live a cookie cutter lifestyle and became a civil servant.

Bella had clumsily dropped all her books and pamphlets thanks to their collision. She had hastened to pick them up of the floor, all the while mumbling an apology into her oversized Aran sweater and messing with the bun hanging limp at the back of her head.

How shocked she had been when the girl had launched herself at her, declaring them as best buds and then proceeded to wangle them into being dorm mates. This was obviously after she had twirled Bella around, declared that she was going to be in charge of her wardrobe and fixed Bella's hair into a coiffeur. To say Bella was overwhelmed would be an understatement but she was forever grateful for Alice's influence. She allowed her personality to develop and accepted the not necessarily encouraged activities such as illegal drag racing and motor biking down the freeway without question.

Not to say that Alice wasn't so much more than a fashion aid with a pixie disposition. In fact the one time that Bella had called her that, there had been hell to pay.

"You what? I'm a pixie? Who the fuck wants to be a pixie? That would mean that I'd be discriminated for my size, thought to be fucking peppy all year round and carry a bag of glitter. Do I look like I have a pouch of 'fairy dust' on my body? No, didn't think so and don't get me started on the unfair treatment of Tinkerbelle in Peter Pan. Peter, what a doowap."

Yeah, that right there was the end of the comparison.

Alice walked slowly in a circle around Bella's still form and started pinning the body of the dress tighter to her waist, forcing the full skirt to flare even more. The flowered bodice and the stripes of different material worked wonderfully together and Bella thought it would be a great outfit. Not that she would ever wear one of these creations to class; she was just too shy and couldn't imagine swapping her overly prim and proper clothes for it.

Thinking of academia lead to another image of Edward flashing in her mind and temporarily weakened her control over the joints in her knees once again. She knew that he wasn't the typical pin up, poster boy. Most girls these days chased after those men who had a suave attitude and the 'dressed to impress' persona. She concluded that everyone must be blind to not have snatched up such a fine specimen of man. In her eyes, Edward was a stud, well a stud with vast knowledge of molecular physics, but still one nevertheless.

She was just at a loss for what to do. Every class they shared, she would admire him from afar. He was obviously paying attention to the professor but only answered when called upon. His answers were always exactly what she would have said too.

Typically, if on the off chance he remained in the classroom last, which seemed to be quite often lately, they would partake in this dance of stuttering small talk and run on sentences. It didn't matter that they only chatted about frivolous matters; she was secretly desperate to understand just what went on inside that obviously brilliant brain of his but found herself blurting out excuses as to why she had to leave.

Why did it have to be so difficult? She questioned, thinking if only she could have met him at one of her usual haunts it would be oh so much easier. Out in the dark of the night, with no conformities that society held in place to hold her back, this would be a very different situation.

Dismissing those thoughts for now, Bella sighed with a smile as she remembered her plans for the following evening. Friday nights were her favorite of the week. She looked forward to them like a fat kid waiting for his hot-fudge-triple-layer-chocolate-sundae. The eagerness that Bella felt surpassed the normal levels of excitement and she would forego all sensibility to keep her plans every Friday.

Yes, she loved the knowledge that there would be nobody there to judge her or question her or tell her to be more sensible, like a proper lady was supposed to be. Like a future obedient and genteel housewife. That grew old when you'd been hearing how you were so reliable and steadfast your whole life. The end of the world would come before anyone would predict that Bella would become a beatnik.

A sharp tug brought her back to the present. "Bella, move your legs NOW!" Alice returned to stitching the hem line by hand, fixing small, hand-made roses as she went.

"Sorry Alice," Bella returned, "my mind was somewhere else."

"Oh la la Bella. Not those fantasies about geek boy again? Tut tut, what would people say if they knew such an innocent girl was having such tawdry thoughts?" Alice cackled, stabbing Bella in the leg whilst doing so.

Bella had made the mistake of letting her private admiration for Edward slip one time when Alice had tricked her into drinking a whole bottle of the Captain's finest, and all the details of just what she planned to do with Edward if the opportunity ever arose. Alice hadn't let it drop since.

"Bella, your face is such a big tickle! I swear anyone would think that you were trying to relieve yourself of a brick right now!" Bella's cheeks flushed in annoyance and embarrassment at such crude implications and she was tempted to just leave Alice to her fashion project. But she wouldn't do that to her friend because she knew it was just harmless teasing however much Alice laughed at her misfortunes.

"Cut the gas, Alice."

Alice seemed to notice Bella's change in demeanour and promptly stopped her amusement at the situation. _For now._

"I'm sorry Bells, it's just so funny that you act like such a square when reall-"

Bella cut her off with a hiss, "Alice, I thought I told you not to go there."

"Sorry, sorry, I know how touchy you are. I'm just being a goof. Anyway, you hungry? I could eat a deep fried paper shaker at this point."

"Yeah, okay. Let's head down to the diner round the block. Cooking isn't really on the agenda tonight. And they have the best milkshakes," she added, the thought of the malt goodness erasing the last of her impromptu display of anger.

"Maybe afterwards we can catch the latest 'I Love Lucy'?" Alice suggested, her laughter loud enough to be heard for miles around.

~#~

Bella checked her watch for the fifth time, wondering when she could get out of this classroom and start getting ready for tonight. She was buzzed with excitement and her heart pounded at the thought of the autos careering down the strip; dust flying.

The bell rung and she jumped from her seat and exited the classroom as swiftly as possible, without tripping over her pumps miraculously. She didn't want people to think she was a spaz.

She got dressed by herself, minus the interference of her meddling room mate and her penchant for using Bella as some kind of experiment in a fashion laboratory, and left an hour later. Tonight her crisp button down blouses and bouncy ponytail were cast aside for something slinky.

A black, shimmers in the moonlight and fits like a glove something slinky.

~#~

Stepping onto the grassy banks, Bella checked her reflection in the wing mirror of a parked Cadillac Eldorado. Her eyes were heavily lined with kohl and her hair had enough hairspray to start a wild fire if a spark from her cigarette made the leap.

She strode across the street, her long legs lengthened by the heels that she had bought just for occasions like these.

"What's hanging Isabella?" Tyler shouted from his rag top.

"Not much, just waiting for you actors to put your money where your mouth is!" Feeling more at ease in this hot shot environment, _Isabella_ was on top form tonight, with her sharp words and carefree attitude exuding from every pore.

"Ooh, someone's feisty tonight!"

Isabella closed the short distance between her and the rest of the gang, who were spread about randomly on the fringe of a section of abandoned highway. It was the perfect spot; sheltered from the majority of onlookers and enough room for a race to really get going. To the left there were a handful of guys and gals bopping to Rock Around the Clock on a record player someone had brought along. A few others were on the right, hanging on car doors and chatting.

"Izzy, you got some nice threads on ya' tonight girl," Rosalie pulled her into a hug, smiling and gave her an appraising look.

"Well I got to keep up with the likes of you," Isabella retorted, returning the smile as Rosalie dragged her to a seat on the edge of a hood just as she heard the rumble of an approaching engine. Her eyes downcast, picking at her hemline and fixing her neck scarf, she heard Rosalie let out a low whistle.

"Wheew, that is one hopped-up machine. Hell, rubber is definitely going to be burning tonight." Bella looked up just as the car's owner stepped out.

Oh.

My.

Hell.

The driver slammed the door and leaned casually against the side. If anyone could be the complete opposite of her fantasy of Edward, this guy would be it.

This was not a bad thing, it was just that she had always thought she was a one nerd kind of woman and _he _was definitely not an academic, unless he was majoring in how to bring women to their knees.

Isabella thought that there should be some kind of music playing to accompany this scene and her nipples agreed, perking up in interest.

As he removed his Ray Bans, she eyed his hair which was a mop of tangled delight on his head and she could just imagine him having left a girl after a bit of backseat bingo, a sharp contrast to the usual Duck's Ass. A leather jacket with a diagonal zip fit languidly on his shoulders and rolled up to the elbows. His jacket revealed a sliver of the white t-shirt underneath, which hugged what was obviously a trim torso. His narrow hips were home to a pair of dark wash blue jeans that were haphazardly tucked into a pair of black chuck taylor high tops.

She doubted anyone could refuse someone with a face and body like that. Hell, she knew she wouldn't, especially if he was to offer her some kind of service that consisted of him touching her in any capacity. She also noticed the black ink mark on his forearm and practically became undone at the sight. This boy was unquestionably a rebel without a cause.

She questioned herself whether it was possible that she could become a puddle on the ground at any moment while simultaneously wondering whether it was fit to jump someone's bones in front of company. Probably not, she thought, imagining the look of shock on the others' faces if she started dry humping him in public

However, it would be worth it to grip those biceps and- _whoa_. Maybe her brain had finally become infected by those 25 cent books that her mum had kept hidden under her bed.

There was only so much you could do without crossing the line of indecency, and Isabella began pondering what those things might be….

She stared at his face as he currently surveyed the group, acknowledging various people and Bella felt an inkling of inexplicable familiarity. Just a slight twinge but it was soon gone.

When their eyes met, some kind of energy sizzled between them. With a look like that of a predator about to catch his meal, he headed towards her and stopped when he was within close proximity. Probably too close, she believed, since she could now not only see his beauty but also inhale the scent of his eau de sexy times.

A smirk was present on his face and Isabella just wanted to kiss it right off of him. "Hey there, doll face. I'm Eddie." He exuded a somewhat quiet confidence and his voice felt like velvet on her eardrums.

Usually she was not the kind of girl to stumble over her words, not as Isabella anyway, and yet there she stood grasping at words to put into a cohesive sentence.

"I'm Isabella, Izzy to my friends. Feel free to do the same." She finished with a wink, hoping that he hadn't caught on to her nervousness and then made a quick repeat scan of his body. His eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn't understand so she fixed her eyes on the ground, but they wandered toward his feet, sizing them up. She'd heard that saying about big feet equal- _oh dear god_. What was the matter with her? She only typically acted like some hormone crazed teenager (albeit internally) around Edward and now she was doing the same with some random guy.

She never thought she would be the type to put out so easily, even though technically she still had yet to do so with either one of them. _Pfft, technicalities._

"Well, Isabella, do you mind if I take a seat right here next to you? I'm new to this scene and maybe you could be my guide for tonight." His voice seemed to become even more low and husky as he trailed off, putting emphasis on the word _guide_.

Was that meant to be an innuendo? She had heard a lot of colorful words in replacement for doing the deed from her friends and 'guide' definitely wasn't of them.

"If you'd like. It is a free country after all," she quipped, getting back into her regular repartee and reclined on her elbows on the striped hood of the car behind them.

Getting another whiff of that potent scent she thanked the Lord that she had come to this place tonight.

"Sooo, I haven't seen you around before. You're new to New Hampshire you say?" She turned towards Eddie, waiting for a response.

"Not exactly. Just been busy and had a few other places to check out first." His face remained carefully unreadable until his lips upturned slightly at the corners revealing how happy he was to be talking to her. "I was looking for someone but it doesn't matter now," he finished, giving Bella a look so intense that she was sure her heart would beat right out of her chest

"Well, you've come to the right place for a good time."

"Let's hope so."

Once again, his voice became lower than the norm and Bella felt her cheeks heat up, an unusual characteristic of Isabella. She tried to compose herself, anxious to get to know this hot newbie.

Their arms were positioned side by side and she could feel the heat radiating from his skin, giving her chills that had nothing to do with the temperature. Every time he shifted, the soft hair on his forearm brushed against her causing tingling along her upper torso.

"You gonna' be laying a patch tonight? 'Cause I heard that there was gonna' be another driver in the mix," Isabella smiled coyly and dared to glance sideways at him.

"Well I'll definitely be firing it up tonight, if you know what I mean. I sure do like it fast and hard."

_Did he-, does he-, no-, surely not?_ Bella's mind whirled at the implications of his words and shivered, which had nothing to do with the cool New Hampshire air.

Taking a deep breath she retaliated in an equally husky voice, "Why of course… There's nothing better than riding that engine like a horse at a rodeo, the motor purring beneath you."

His initial reaction was shock from Isabella's implication, coupled with a slight reddening at the tips of his ears, but it was soon replaced by his original cool and collected demeanour. Casting a sneaky glimpse downward revealed what appeared to be a slight tightening in the fly region of his pants.

That wasn't a tent; it was a Winnebago taking residence in there

"That's good to know," he replied, his smooth voice seeming slightly forced now.

As they continued to incline towards each other, he adjusted the position of his arm so that it grazed hers, their hands just millimetres apart on the cool metal of the car. Something so simple seemed to arouse Isabella, like the feel of his skin on hers reminding and teasing her of just exactly where she'd like to touch him. And yet, there was a sense of modesty about it all. Their simple touching wasn't particularly flirtatious or overtly sexual, but more like testing each other. Anticipation and intrigue grew thick between them.

Consequently, Bella could see his tattoo more clearly now since she had been drooling over it from afar. It was a Celtic knot of some kind that was about the size of an orange on his forearm; a twisted mass of lines where multiple images could appear to be within it. She could make out a heart and a strangely shaped bird intertwined. It was beautiful enough to make Bella think of eloping or having a shotgun wedding on the spot.

For some unknown reason, well perhaps not so unknown, she felt the need to lick the outline of the intricate lines that formed it too.

And perhaps other places on his body… but that was another pressing issue, particularly in her panties that she was trying to push aside.

Even with the confidence Isabella held, offering her body to somebody who had been a complete stranger until 5 minutes ago was probably pushing this a little too far. Plus the fact that there were at least twenty other people in the vicinity, it was best to ignore the feeling as much as she could. For now…

Which was damn near impossible.

Shifting in her precariously balanced seat on the motor, Bella acknowledged the comfortable silence that blanketed them. Eddie also seemed relaxed, with his long legs stretched out and his languid posture resembling a reclined lion. Their arms were still touching yet it struck her as odd that even though they barely knew each other, they sat there comfortable with each other, almost like old friends.

Well old friends that wanted to rip each other's clothes off.

At least that's what she wanted to do.

A few more minutes passed as a slew of people made their way into the crudely marked off area assigned for 'spectators'. Eddie still hadn't said anything and she was pondering how to start something conversational that didn't hint towards how much she desired to jump his bones.

So far she had come up with zilch.

"So-"

"What-"

They both began talking at the same time and laughed lightly at the mishap.

"I was gonna' say, what got you into this scene?" Eddie turned to her expectantly.

Bella pondered his question which seemed a little bit from left field and thought of a way to answer it carefully while being as truthful as possible. Maybe it was the looks of genuine interest that he gave her and his rapt expression, which conflicted his casual tone, but she felt the need to be honest around him.

"Well, I've always had a thing for watching races, ever since I was little. When my dad would be at work, I'd be looked after by a neighbor who had three boys and we used to always compete against each other with toy cars." Eddie chuckled and she continued, "Then as I grew older, I saw the gatherings as a place to be free ya' know? No one judging you, telling you how to behave. Just people having fun, pure and simple."

She finished and found Eddie giving her a look she couldn't for the life of her decipher.

They continued to chat; questions thrown back and forth, allowing a bigger picture to build up of what the other was like. They'd go from discussing their favorite cereal to having in depth discussions of politics, all the while adding a few flirty remarks or subtle touches.

Every time Eddie opened his mouth to speak or reply interestedly to something she said, she felt as though, gradually, his bad boy persona was wearing away, leaving someone that she'd really like to be around more.

Particularly, with less clothes…

A few hours later, a voice brought them back into the world where other people existed.

"Yo, you two! The race is gonna' be startin' in a couple. You might wanna' get off of that hood and get your asses into gear if you're gonna' be takin' part in this dealio," Eric shouted from his wound down window, signalling for them with a thumb to the just recently formed line up.

"Alright, cool it," Isabella shouted back, annoyed that her time with Eddie was being interrupted.

Eddie stared ahead, "You wanna' ride shot gun with me? It would definitely be an experience."

Although his words were of the cocky nature that she had associated with him at the start of the night, his posture was in a somewhat shy position.

It struck her with another sense of familiarity.

Shaking it off she smirked, "Well, I'm all about the experiences, ya' know. So I'll give it a try, even just to see if I'd be able to kick your sorry ass in the future."

She smiled coquettishly as Eddie offered a hand, lifting her from her seated position to stand. Feeling quite proud of herself for not having used the phrases 'let me' and 'lick you' in the same sentence, Bella began making her way over to the car that Eddie had arrived in.

No sooner had she taken two steps when a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her into his solid yet surprisingly comfortable form. A tingle ran from the touch on her wrist, up her arm, down her spine and settled between her legs.

Warm breath blew over her the top of her ear, a pleasant contrast to the night air.

"I'm sure I'd be the one kicking your ass. Though I have to say I prefer the word 'spanking'. It has a much better ring to it, don't ya' think?"

Bella struggled to remain upright and battled through the haze of hormones that seemed to have, all of a sudden, begun coursing through her veins. They sure were getting a work out tonight.

Before she could open her mouth to reply, he turned swiftly and led her over to the passenger side of his stationary car. It was quite a sleek auto with what she recognised as a bent eight, Rosalie would be proud after having taught her the ins and outs of cars.

An image of the two of them pressed against the side of the car getting hot and heavy flashed across Bella's mind and it was all she could do to try and halt the accompanying redness of her cheeks. She shifted her legs, trying to compose her aroused thoughts.

Eddie swung open the car door, revealing a shockingly pristine leather interior. She'd seen some of the other cars and they were dirty as hell. As he got in the driver's side, the scent of him that she wanted to bottle and keep to herself, hit her directly. It certainly didn't help her already lust addled state of mind.

Once they were both seated, buckled securely in --a requirement that Eddie made clear, and waiting alongside an odd collection of other cars, he faced her across the centre console.

"Iz, I-," his speech was halted by the sound of a klaxon.

"On your marks, we're gonna' count down from ten losers. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,…" A voice projected across the road.

Eddie rubbed his hand over his face and then looked back up. "I'm warning you now. You better hold on tight."

"..2, 1. GO!"

As soon as those words left the announcer's lips, they were off, shooting down the highway that had held many of these races before.

_Not quite like this_, she thought. Not one where she thought she was going to die at the speed they were going at.

Stripes of multi colored lights from the other cars they passed, danced all around her, partially blinding her from what was in front. She gripped the handle to her right so tightly that she thought it might break off and simultaneously braced herself against the dashboard.

Every swerve sent her flying around her seat and she prayed to God that she wouldn't be sent through the windscreen like a rag doll.

She couldn't get the record that she'd been playing earlier out of her mind.

_I cut my nails and I quiver my thumb  
I'm really nervous but it sure is fun  
Come on baba, you drive me crazy  
Goodness gracious great balls of fire!_

A particularly sharp bend caused her to bash her elbow on the door.

"GOD DARNIT!"

Her heart was beating so loudly and wildly, it reminded her of the drum beats that she'd heard in a record that she had just bought. Except to her it sounded like it was saying, _"Don't die, don't die, don't die, don't die."_

Yet in spite of that, every time she peeked over at Edward in the small moments of time where the car slowed slightly, she couldn't help but feel safe with him behind the wheel. He was calm and focused on the road ahead, despite the insane speed he was driving at.

Irrational but true. There was just something reassuring about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

There was also the added bonus of seeing Eddie's arms straining whilst changing gears; the visible tendons and veins being a nice sight in lieu of their impending doom.

_Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech._

The cherry came to a grinding halt and it was only then when she looked out of the windows that she realised they were several hundred yards in front, blowing off all of the other contenders.

After what she considered to be a near death experience, only missing her life flashing before her eyes, she started to laugh hysterically.

"Hah…I thought I was gonna' die! Can't…stop…laughing. That was…was a blast" Her sides shook as she continued to crack up at seemingly nothing, the rush of creaming the competition still fresh in the air.

Soon Eddie joined in and they snickered and snorted until they swiftly realized their close proximity. The air hung static, their previous chortles lapsing into silence.

Bella stared unflinchingly at Eddie and it was as though they were possessed by some unknown force that their heads made the journey of leaning in closer to the other.

Their harsh breathing was the only sound that could be heard, an appropriate soundtrack to the unstoppable pull that drew them together, like moths to a flame.

_What a smoking hot flame that is_, Bella thought, her internal monologue coming slower as she drew further away from her self awareness and nearer to his eyes, which seemed to drag her into to the depths of the unknown.

A few centimetres were all that was left between their lips as Cupid's bow taunted Bella in such closeness and heightened her urges for exploration. Neither moved, slightly reluctant and perhaps afraid to cross the final hurdle.

His tongue darted out to lick the corner of his lip and just like that, the fight was over.

She smashed her lips to his, revelling in the feelings that twisted and swirled deep within her body. Their kiss wasn't gentle and it wasn't sweet. Their mouths moved in an aggressive, lust fuelled primal dance, pressing and tasting and wanting more.

Always more.

Eddie grasped her round the middle and unceremoniously brought her onto his lap, heightening the sensations by pressing their chests together.

Tongues entered the equation and the pressure mounted, longing and desperate with need.

Bella melted into him, the rush of, being so close to another person akin to nothing she had ever felt before. It surpassed all recollections of her previous moments of intimacy.

The need to close every gap between their bodies raced through her, urging her hands to run paths along every part of his body she could reach. Fingers running through soft hair, smoothing their way across Eddie's broad chest and skimming down his toned arms.

His hands anchored her face to his, encasing her cheeks with warm pressure, kissing her roughly with the constant sense of his own urgency. His slightly calloused fingers created a pleasant contrast on her skin in comparison to the plumpness of his lips, velvet against hers.

Bella was unable to relax from being so sexually wound up, the adrenaline coursing through her, and tingles settling in the apex of her legs, which caused her to writhe in his lap. She felt him harden against her leg from the movement and he groaned, his hands tugging her face to his more firmly to deepen the kiss.

The sound cut through the silence, making this all a little too real for Bella. She instantly stiffened in Eddie's arms, which were currently wrapped tightly around her shoulders and back.

Then a face appeared in the forefront of her lust-induced brain, awakening her.

_Edward._

Their lips parted ways and for some reason Bella felt as though she had just committed a sin. The dam of repressed emotion that had been building all night and so much more added to the mix, flooding her senses. Tearing out of his embrace, she clambered back to her original position and then through the passenger side door, stumbling outside. Desperate not to drown from the unexpected rush of emotions, she gasped before inhaling the cold night air.

_How can you be so fickle?_ She thought spitefully to her self. What kind of girl says that she's obsessed with one guy and then practically forces herself on another? She'd just met him tonight and barely knew anything about him. Not only that, how could it ever work?

How could she possibly have any kind of normal relationship with either of them? Not while she was currently living a double life, trying to be an independent, smart woman whilst surrendering to the rebellion of her youth.

No, she had to walk away now before this went too far. Never mind the fact that the scene in the car was probably the furthest she had ever got with a guy but her newfound confusion muddled her thoughts and she couldn't find any resolution to her inner battle.

Bella wiped her hand across her face, trying to fix the mess that her lip rouge was obviously going to be in. From the corner of her eye, she saw Eddie get out the car and come round to her side, a frown marring his perfect features.

"Izzy, what's the matter? I didn't force myself on you did I? Cos' you seemed to be into as much as I was..." Eddie looked hurt by her rejection and repeatedly searched her face for an answer to his own confusion and perhaps, something more but she didn't know what.

"Erm, no. I just….I just can't do this right now Eddie. Actually, not ever. You need to stay away from me. I'm not the best kind of gal for you." He probably wouldn't be accepting of her role as a proper young lady, she thought sadly. But then where did she fit in if not here with him?

As much as it pained her to look at his disappointed face, she could just imagine if he saw her around school…Bella found her footing and swiftly started her exit.

Yeah, that would be fun to explain. _Oh yes, I'm just dressing like the people that rag on you for giggles! Shall I introduce you to my class mates too? _

What a mess she was creating for herself. She cursed herself for ever getting into a situation that created so much complication but then realised that if she hadn't, she would never have met Eddie and the past few minutes of bliss wouldn't have happened.

It was worth it just for that.

"Bella, wait up! Can't I just have your number or something? I really want to see you again." Eddie quickened his pace behind her, practically tripping her over whilst trying to walk along side her hurried form.

She briefly noticed the use of her 'other' name but it was forgotten by his further interruption of, "Please?" His voice seemed so sincere, his expression so open…

Her heart crying out for her to listen to his pleas, but she had to follow her logic which sensibly told her that this would only cause more pain and conflict in the future.

"No. Leave me alone. It's better this way for the both of us."

Breaking from his sad stare, she flew across the banks of the highway as fast as she could without glancing back, which was no small feat in 4-inch heels…

The thought that just wouldn't hop off was the one telling her that she was an embarrassment and it stewed further with every step of distance she made. Guys like Eddie had girls like her throwing themselves all over them, all the time. Why did he chase after her? What made her any different?

_There I went, making some big issue out of it when it was probably just another fling to him anyway. The only reason he looked so disappointed was 'cause he didn't get any._

In the time it took for her to reach her dorm, she found it difficult to comprehend that Eddie was someone who she had just met. She remembered his glances and flirtations and the heat of his body that a deep-rooted sense of familiarity pricked her thoughts. She felt as though she had known him for so much longer and there was a little niggling intuition in the back of her mind that wouldn't go away. They kept telling her she had, however impossible it seemed.

~#~

She forced her self to return to her usual routine but as hard as she tried, Bella couldn't shake the ache that riddled her chest when her mind wandered to that night. The doubts that told her it was a bad idea to be in the position of seeing Eddie again were pushed to the side as the inside of her panties were begging for more, but that was another story. Suddenly, she wondered if perhaps she would run in to him again...

Her lady parts continued to hope and pray for it.

Every Friday night Isabella would emerge as usual and turn up on the abandoned section of highway. She'd sit on the bank, half of her desperately wishing that he would turn up and ravish her like he had before, the other half desperately wishing that he'd never grace her presence.

And yet weeks passed and although she knew that it was for the best if she never saw him again, she felt dejected at the end of each night after countless false hopes.

The rumble of an engine. Rolled up leather jacket. Cinnamon. Detergent. Leather interiors.

It felt like she only carried on her double life in order to see Eddie again. The gatherings had somehow managed to lose their original lustre something she had pined for only a while ago.

All of which only fuelled the perpetual foul mood she'd found her self in.

She'd thought she had it made. The best of both worlds, but it was her ideal compromise that had got her into such a woven web of lies, too tangled up to escape.

Even in Lit classes Bella no longer had the tentative smiles and awkward greetings to look forward to from Edward. They appeared to come to an abrupt halt the same week of the dealio with Eddie and it was just too much disappointment for her to handle.

One particularly self-indulgent'oh the troubles of life' and' how did I end up here' night, she somehow managed to imbibe half a bottle of crème de menthe and spilled her entire pity party to Alice.

Alice remained uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole thing, saving all her remarks until the end. Bella could remember exactly what she had told her.

"Oh Dear Lord. I thought that you had a brain in that Bella head of yours, but clearly not! It's so obvious a pot smoking monkey with sight in only one eye coulda figured it out by now. Seriously, just look at what's in front of your eyes!"

She had a smile on her face when she said it, which only served to aggravate Bella since it was clear that Alice was aware of something that she wasn't.

Those cryptic words still made Bella rack her brain for anything that she might have missed to make everything work. Perhaps she was looking too deeply into it, she wondered.

She thought over the times when she had gone to lunch with Jess at places with all the 'hep cats', where their meals had been cut short by the arrival of people Jessica didn't find suitable.

They weren't hot make out scenes with a guy but simple lunch dates with a friend, yet Bella realized that no matter what side she skirted on, she was hiding her true self. She hated having to choose and she hated compromising herself. Jessica had sparked a sudden passion for justification in this whole mess…

~#~

Bella sat in her usual seat in Lit class, her pen tapping idly on the page of notes in front of her. She contemplated the long period of time, 5 weeks, since she had seen Eddie and since Edward had spoken, even briefly to her. She couldn't understand why Edward avoided her now and it only added to her moping frustration.

If only she had done something different. If, if, if. Her thoughts seemed to revolve around the 'what if's' lately and really wished she could try and get over the whole requited attraction thing.

Lost in thoughts, she didn't register at first the soft tapping on her shoulder.

"Psst. Pass this to Isabella Swan," the person to her right whispered, discretely tossing a small piece of paper onto the desk in front of her.

Realising it was meant for her, she took note of the neat script on the front and unfolded it.

**Isabella, **

**Please meet me at the table in the north western part of the main library at 4pm, I think it would nice if we could talk. **

**I can't stop thinking about you.**

**Eddie**

Her hands shaking in shock, she reread the words a few times before it finally sunk in.

How had he found her? How did he even get a note into her classroom? Still feeling too stunned to think clearly, she put her tumble of unanswered questions aside for the moment.

She knew where she would be this afternoon.

~##~

Her knee length skirt swayed with the breeze that was brought on by her fast pace. It was one of the pale green, flowered variety that fit well with her cherry blossom hued silk shirt that tucked into the high waistband. She smoothed her outfit, the silk soft on her skin. When she had been deciding what to wear, she realised that she would have to go just as Bella. She was going to a public place after all, but she had other reasons too...

She decided then and there that she might as well tell him the whole deal with her sneaking around and see what his reaction was. She owed it to Eddie and she owed it to herself. She also concluded that she had no more worries with Edward seeing as how he had purposely been avoiding her. As much as it saddened her, she had to give one of them a chance, and Eddie had purposely sought her out.

Glancing at the sign that read "We beg you to be quiet, this is a library", Bella swiftly made her way to the furthest corners of the large room and scanned her surroundings.

The butterflies in her stomach promptly turned into pterodactyls as she reached the designated destination. Pausing to take a calming breath, she finally looked up and noticed there was only one person in this area and the pterodactyls once again battered her insides.

It must be him, she thought with a thrill, pleased and excited but at the same time calculating the exit points.

But the closer she got, the clearer her sight of the person became and she soon scrapped her conclusion that this was Eddie.

It was in fact the person that had basically snubbed her for little over a month. Edward.

Pen holder extraordinaire himself.

She quickly came to a halt but the sound of her shoes in the carpet made enough noise to alert him of her presence.

"Oh good, you're here," he exhaled heavily, looking clearly relieved.

What? Bella's brain couldn't comprehend why Edward would look so pleased to see her. This was the same boy that had almost caused old Professor Hamish's untimely death in order to get away from Bella in a crowded hallway. It didn't help that the woman was about 4ft tall but that was besides point.

"Erm…I'm sure you're talking to the wrong person. I'm actually meeting someone here."

A momentary look of confusion spread across his features and then he stood up with realisation, slowly walking until he stood in front of her.

"Bella. I'm the one that you're supposed to be meeting." He took a deep breath before quietly admitting, "I'm Eddie."

Bella shook her head and looked him the eye. She hadn't thought about it but she started to realise that Eddie had the exact same color eyes as Edward, once she saw passed the horn rimmed glasses. And height. And hair color… She recalled how absolutely lovely it was when it wasn't combed back neatly. She continued to shift pieces of Eddie from her memory and matched them to Edward standing before her. After a long moment the picture was now complete as the weight of his words settled over her. _Oh no, it can't be._

Then she proceeded to ramble.

"Are you for real? This is some kind of joke isn't it. I mean this is exactly what I've been wishing for. That you two would be the same guy so I wouldn't feel so torn and here you are handing it to me on a platter with no kind of compromise on my part. Maybe I've gone into one of those strange coma things I heard about on the wireless the other day."

Edward ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the neatly parted and slicked style. When he lowered his hand, she caught a glimpse of black on his forearm.

She grabbed his wrist and promptly turned over the aforementioned limb, tracing her finger over the tattoo that she had been doodling on all her notebooks. _It is true…_

Taking her eyes off of it, her gaze met his face. Whoa.

His face still had a powerful effect on her. Even more so now, knowing that he could protect his stationery and still look that good in leather.

"Bella, I need to explain some things but please… don't run away again."

She nodded through her light-headedness.

"Maybe we should take this over to my place, it'll be more private. It's only over the street."

Somehow she managed to make her way over to his small apartment on auto pilot, unable to remember how she got there as her mind continuing pegging her with unanswered questions.

All she could think was how had she not recognised this before? Evidently a college education meant nothing if she couldn't see what had been right in front of her nose this whole time.

Then there was the whole deal with Edward actually being Eddie and Eddie being Edward.

_God_, her head hurt.

Taking a perch upon his two seater, he shifted his body on the cushion to face her.

"Look Bella, you're probably wondering why the hell I pretended to be someone named Eddie and dressed so differently and even acted differently."

"Pretty much, yeah," she huffed.

The next words out of his mouth shocked her. "It was all for you."

Seeing the look of disbelief on her face and her attempt to start talking, he shushed her and went on.

"Every time I'd go to class, I would see you and wish that I had the guts to say more than a couple of words. It's just I would get so tongue tied looking at your face and your cute expressions or that blush. I'd get so frustrated," he paused, rubbing his nose under his glasses.

"Then I saw you hurrying from your dorm one evening and impulsively followed. I'm not a weirdo it's just I couldn't help but be curious as to where you were going and who with. I wanted to make sure you were safe too, running off alone in the night… Oh God, it sounds so bad when I say it out loud!" Edward hurried on with his confession, his cheeks growing hot. "Anyway, when I saw you at that place, I'm not going to lie, I was shocked but then it dawned on me. I could act like one of those guys who you were clearly comfortable around and be able to say more than a stutter of two words.

"On a forced night out with my brothers they got me drunk and I admitted what I wanted to do. They helped me with the clothes and the attitude, with much mortification on my part. I still owe them a lifetime of servitude or something. Or a months worth of burgers and shakes. Anyways…

"It's just so confusing; I thought you didn't like me as top nerd so I tried to be another thing that I definitely was not. I'm just a normal guy Bella and I'm not sure if that's what you wa-"

He was abruptly cut off by Bella's lips softly touching his. This was the way their first kiss should have been, she thought idly while reaching a hand out to touch the soft skin of his cheek. Her heart ballooned at the thought that someone, especially Edward who she had pined after, had gone to such lengths just to get her attention.

Just as he was about to deepen their kiss, she pulled back, staring intently at him.

"Edward, you don't have to explain. I just don't understand why you felt that you had to do so much when I would have been just as happy if you'd have approached me after class."

He looked a little flushed after their embrace and a crease formed between his eyes.

"But…I thought that you didn't like me in _that way. _Me being Edward, that is."

"All those times at the end of the lecture, did you really think that I took that long putting my stuff away?"

He smiled shyly and she continued.

"And you saying that being normal isn't something I desire, I'm gonna' have to disagree. I've come to realise over these past few weeks that I'm so darn tired of having to put on a mask. I'm just Bella, a normal girl and you're Edward, a normal guy

His cheeks reddened slightly which made Bella want to hug him.

So she did.

Except that hug brought her into close proximity of his body and she felt every line and definition of him.

Snuggling even closer to him, she placed her hands on either side of his face, smoothing downwards and then pulled off his glasses, placing them on the coffee table.

"Edward, I liked you enough before I met Eddie that night. Now it makes sense why I felt such a connection. It's obvious that my brain was trying to tell me what a doofus I was being." She murmured, her face getting closer to his.

He chuckled and she couldn't help but lay one on him.

Their lips met once again but this time all the pent up longing from that night in the car and the time that they'd lost came crashing down on them.

They fit together perfectly; exploring each other freely now. Bella took Edward's full bottom lip between hers and tilted her head back then, returning to swipe her tongue over the seal of his lips.

_This time it feels even better_, she managed to think through her addled brain.

Now that they knew the truth about each other a renewed urge filled her. Without the guilt of choosing one over the other, she delved into the experience without restraint.

Edward seemed emboldened by her confession as well as he fiercely took her in his arms, sighing with pleasure against her lips. They took hold of each other then, slowly leaning back into the couch. Edward cradled her head to rest on the arm of the sofa and to keep their lips firmly connected. Trying to adjust themselves in the narrow space, Bella lifted her leg to make room, gasping lightly as he settled himself between her legs, resting on his elbows.

Oh dear Lord my underwear isn't going to make it at this rate! She thought with trembling excitement when she felt his bulge pressing at the apex of her legs.

Her parents had given her 'the talk'. One that had used to the words 'pollination' and 'seeds of love' too many times for her liking. It was actually 'The Tale of Two Love Riddled Lovers' that had given her the most knowledge.

She slid a hand into his hair, bringing his face even closer to hers. She couldn't get enough and her senses were over powered by the reality of him, finally in her arms and wanting her entirely.

Their mouths continued to ravage each other, their tongues dancing seductively, the bubble in her chest almost inflating to a popping point. She hadn't thought it could get any better but when he slid a hand to her waist and started placing kisses down her neck to the top of her blouse, she almost died at the sheer torture of so many sensations igniting along her skin, and this was all just from his talented mouth…

Wanting to reciprocate and feel more of him, she began rocking her hips against his and couldn't help but shiver when a low moan left his lips.

"Bella," he mumbled as she continued to place sporadic kisses across his face and jaw.

"You need to promise me something. Promise me that you'll be yourself from now on. No more sneaking around, acting different in different situations. I only tried it for one night and it was hard enough. Otherwise you'll never accept yourself for being you."

She felt touched that he cared so much about her to even ask her something like that. Thinking about what he said made her think of all the times she had wished to be like Alice or other people she had known who were comfortable being who they were without fear of retribution.

It had seemed so daunting but being in Edward's arms made her feel as though she could do anything. Face her issues and challenge herself, unafraid and knowing he still would still accept her. He looked at her in a way that told her that she was so very special.

"Yes, I'll just be Bella from now." She smiled and he returned it, leaning back into her.

"Make sure that you keep all your clothes though. I've always had a thing for a naughty librarian and hot greaser dolls."

She smirked and leaned forward till their lips were only inches away. Bella decided to be forward.

"You best have kept that leather jacket too. There's something about tight fitting leather that gets me. That and your glasses." She admitted with a sly smile and glanced over his shoulder to where they resided on the coffee table

Seeing at how they were both probably fantasizing of these future endeavours, the tension had risen once again and they were quick to resume their previous activities.

With thrilling anticipation and mounting anxiety, Bella's need to feel skin on skin heightened until she just fisted his shirt and promptly pulled. Buttons scattered across his living room, hitting windows and doors but it didn't halt their hungry kissing.

Now she was free to run her hands over his bare chest, feeling the sparse, downy hair and the subtle ridges of his chest. Trim and lean and incredibly soft on her fingertips and palms.

The couch was small and there was only so much room to move as they both started fumbling to rip clothes off. Edward, taking the initiative, wove his arms round her torso and stood up.

He stumbled slightly, impaired by Bella refusing to remove her mouth from his but as they almost fell over, she resumed her sucking and teasing along his neck and shoulders. He made his way through the apartment, which now seemed incredibly small considering the amount of furniture and wall fittings that they managed to knock into.

He finally pushed his door open and laid her onto the centre of his bed. She took notice of her surroundings and now a quiet calm descended on them. Bella's heartbeat picked up to a rapid pace and she started to sweat slightly at what she knew was coming.

Of course she wanted it; she had never felt this way about anyone apart from Edward but now facing such a momentous decision…She had no idea what to do or where to put herself. She hadn't prepared for this at all.

Sensing her unease, Edward gently laid himself next to her on the bed.

He took her hand in his to comfort and reassure her. "I know where this seems to be heading but we don't have to do anything."

He seemed a bit strained on the last part as he attempted to readjust his arousal. She took a quick peek of his nether regions. _Yep, something was definitely straining._

Sensing her indecision and what he thought was a scared woman before him, he continued. "I like you for being you. I don't care how you dress, what you want to be when you leave college, where-"

"I like you for who you are too Edward…"

"No." He cut her off, anxiously staring at her. "Bella, I'd just like you to know that you can trust me." His tone was serious. "I—"

He couldn't finish his sentence because Bella has restarted their previous frantic movements, climbing over him and crashing her lips to his. They both fell back on the bed.

She pushed off the remnants of his ripped shirt and it fell to the ground besides the bed. Edward caught up hesitantly as his arms slowly encircled her, too slowly Bella thought, but they managed to rid themselves of the articles of clothing that stood in their way.

Lying on top of him with just her panties and stockings on, Bella pressed her breasts against his chest, shielding them from his wandering eyes. She suddenly felt hyperconscious and any ideas of bringing Isabella to the game were thrown out of the window. In place was a shy, self-conscious girl who'd never let a guy see her rack before.

Gently, he rolled them over and urged her to uncover herself to him.

"Bella, you don't need to be ashamed. You're perfect in my eyes."

He made a point of giving her a prolonged once over; eyeing her fine attributes in appreciation. She felt him grow harder beneath his briefs, extending against her stomach as he hovered over her. He looked back up to her face, smiling a bit sheepish, his ears pinking at the tips but his eyes smouldering.

"Let me show you how perfect you are…" He murmured into her neck, trailing kisses along her skin.

She shivered and smiled, arching her neck as he continued his ministrations of moving further down her body. He touched her and kissed her, licked and teased her, igniting points of pleasure all over her skin. When he finally reached her limbs, Bella thought she couldn't handle anymore overwhelming sensations.

Steadily he raised his hands to the top of her stockings and unclipped them from her garter belt. His fingers brushed against the inside of her thighs, rolling them down her legs.

_1 sheep, 2 sheep…this whole sheep counting thing really doesn't work when you've got a fly guy torturing you, _she cursed, trying to rein in her desire to pounce on him.

When both pieces of nylon were removed from her limbs, he climbed a little higher, resting his knees on either side of hers and stared intently at the crotch of her panties, curious about that legendary mystery of the female anatomy. Or was there something else? She wondered what it could be, joining him in looking down.

_Oh God, it probably looks like hot springs down there,_ She realized, feeling Edward grow even harder, twitching once against her leg with excitement.

Snapping himself out of the trance he had been in, he tentatively reached a finger forward, running it along the seam of her folds, through the silk. She sucked in her breath right before he hit gold.

She then heard a noise that she'd never heard before leave her mouth.

_Strangled cats sound better than that_, she thought.

Edward looked up at her flushed face and smirked, feeling more confident now that he had got that kind of reaction out of her.

Resting his fingers at the edge of both sides on the undergarment, he slid them down her hips then past her feet, holding them for a beat longer than necessary.

Adding them to the other haphazardly piled clothes on the various surfaces in the room, he turned back to her and returned to his original position of hovering over her, careful not to lean his entire weight on her.

Wanting to get a similar reaction from him, Bella channelled the Isabella she had become for so many Friday nights and made a show of biting her lip, running her nails along his lean torso down to the top of his briefs.

The thought _'Thank you Lord for not making this nerd wear tighty whiteys'_ absently flittered through her mind that was now preoccupied with teasing her fingers just within the confines of his underpants.

Edward started to sway his hips a little with impatience, clearly having enough of her teasing, and ripped them from his body, kicking them to the floor.

Bella started to giggle at his reaction but was silenced by a searing kiss, his tongue sliding against hers before abruptly pulling back.

"Since when has Izzy been such a tease?" He growled, looming over her.

"Since when have you been so bold, _Eddie_?

As his finger dragged along her body, the curves of her breast, stomach, and hip, it made it's way down in between her legs. _Her hot springs. _He groaned when he hit the jackpot and Bella's breath caught as he rubbed the small nub, a sensation zipping through her body.

It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Another finger joined and pressed lower down, finding her soaked entrance and pushed into her experimentally, stroking and twisting. Her body felt as though it was on fire and her breathing became uncontrollable. Edward concentrated on her face and his task, eager to please her. As three fingers rapidly pushed and pulled, stroking places she had never become accustomed to, she felt like she was floating on air, rising higher and higher, trying to reach for something that was just out of her clutches. Desperate for her release, she moaned and pushed her pelvis against his hand.

Then it happened.

Her back arched and small stars danced in her line of vision, partly hiding the look of satisfaction on Edward's face. All her muscles seemed to tense and then melt onto the sheets below them.

"That was…" She breathlessly fumbled for words. "Incredible."

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern, smiling smugly, to which Bella could only nod in reply. He placed his lips on hers and she tugged him closer to say thank you. They kissed for a moment as her body recovered.

She smoothed her hair off her sweaty brow as he reached towards his bedside table drawer and returned with a quite small square packet that Bella didn't really recognise.

"Erm…it's a condom," Edward informed her, losing his lusty demeanour in favour of a somewhat embarrassed one. "My dad's a doctor so he gave me a whole bundle of 'em."

She watched as he took the contents out and prepared to put it on carefully. Bella couldn't help but blush at the way she was staring raptly at it. It felt strange since she'd never seen one up close before but she had always imagined them to be disgusting. _Not anymore. _

Before he could put it on, she reached out curiously, hesitating at first before lightly wrapping her fingers around him. He gasped and shivered with a moan as she felt the soft smooth skin encasing his hardened state. Enjoying his reactions and wanted to repay him, she lightly stroked her hand along his shaft and tip. He leaned back a little, his lids sliding shut in ecstasy. She continued her administrations until he spoke, or rather, moaned in a thick voice, "Bella…I can't take much more this…"

She couldn't help her satisfied smile as he tried composing himself and rolled the condom on before settling himself between her legs again and began guiding into her.

She felt incredibly tense by the intrusion. Despite the norm in society where lovers should be married or at least courting before doing this, she felt completely comfortable being with Edward. It was a big step for both of them.

Furthermore, she realised that all those conventions didn't matter. This was her and Edward. The same Edward who had told her he accepted her for who she was and couldn't care less about social inflictions. He'd even got in touch with his rebellious side just to get closer to her.

That thought made her relax slightly as he pushed into her, trembling with the difficulty of going slow. His forearms beside her were tense and his face was contorted in a mixture of concern and pleasure.

"Ah…Bell… you're so warm and…tight," he managed to get out, struggling to speak.

She could feel herself stretching and then as he pushed with a bit more force; a sharp pain pierced her, causing her to cry out.

"I'm so sorry. God, I forgot about that… I'm such a moron. Please, tell me when it stops hurting." He leaned closer, staring remorsefully into her eyes and kissed away the tears that had rolled down her cheeks without her realising.

They kissed tenderly and his skilled tongue distracted her from the discomfort. After a couple of minutes it had eased off and it now felt like something good was filling her. She loved the idea of him being inside of her; it was almost empowering the way that they could move as one.

Bella wanted to be like this with him always and never leave.

She smiled up at him as he began stroking her slowly before rocking at a faster pace, her hips meeting his at interspersed incidents. Once they got into a rhythm she found herself enjoying it more and more, sparks of pleasure flying through her body and settling in the pit of her stomach.

Sweat built on their bodies causing a slight smacking sound as their pelvises met, resonating in the quiet room, only joined by uttered sentiments and breathy moans.

Before the tightening of her body could lead to anything further, she heard Edward release a strangled cry, calling out her name before stilling. He shuddered and almost collapsed on top of her.

Looking down at her, his look of euphoria changed into a frown at her lack of release.

She wanted to ease his disappointment. "You made me experience things that I'd never thought possible. Thank you." She placed her hands over his cheek and he nuzzled into her.

"I should be thanking you," he replied, exhaling with relief as his expression relaxed.

He reached behind himself and pulled the covers over them to shield their slick bodies from the exposure of the unheated room.

Their legs intertwined and Edward wrapped his arms around Bella in an embrace, never wanting to let go of her for a second. She didn't mind and snuggled into his tenderness.

Wearily laying their heads on the plump pillows, they began to drift off but were stopped by Bella's sudden whisper, a thought had just struck her.

"The car. Is that yours or was that another prop in the Edward goes Eddie show?"

"Yep, that's my baby," he exclaimed with a smile, which faltered when he saw Bella's face. "I mean that was my baby. I have a new one now," he smiled lovingly at her and squeezed her little body against his.

"Good. Because I've got quite a…ahem vivid imagination and I have grand plans of what we can use your car for. Or shall we say how..." She gave him a coy smile as his eyes widened in understanding.

Sleep would no longer be on their agenda.

**Duck's ass = the hairstyle of the time period, similar to John Travolta et al in Grease **

**Paper shaker = slang for cheerleaders**

**In the Still of the Night by the Five Satins, 1955**

**Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis, 1957**

**Just a little A/N to say thank you for taking the time to read this little (or not so little) ditty, it took a lot of work but it was fun... Of course big massive Rob sized props to my pal Stacy who acted as an 'amazing is my middle name' beta for this monster (and lets me bug her on gchat) and Nic for suggesting some great songs :o).**

**I tried to keep everything as realistic and in keeping with the time period as possible, so I hoped that worked.**

**Feel free to review and lemme know what you thought – the good, the bad and the ugly ********. I'll reply to all since I know that it's nice to see that an author has enjoyed your feedback ;). **

**Cheerio, fang xox**

**P.S There may be some British spelling in there even though I tried not to!**


	2. Please read lovelies :

Why hello there!

You're probably wondering why in the hell I'm putting up a fake out…WHAT THIS ISN'T A CONTINUATION?

I'm posting to let you know that if you are so inclined ***bats eyelashes and smiles sweetly*** head on over to The Age of Edward profile and tick that little box on the voting form for In the Still of the Night.

You're allowed three votes so that sweetens the pot :o)

**OH and make sure that it's by fangbang** if you do cause I've just discovered that someone has posted one with the same name a couple of days ago – I hope people don't get confused!

www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~theageofedward

I heart you all hard 3

Love, fang xox


End file.
